historicafandomcom-20200222-history
Chris Christie
Christopher James "Chris" Christie (6 September 1962-) was Governor of New Jersey (R) from 19 January 2010 to 16 January 2018, succeeding Jon Corzine and preceding Phil Murphy. Christie had previously served as the US Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 17 January 2002 to 1 December 2008, succeeding Robert Cleary and preceding Ralph Marra. During his first term, Christie was credited with cutting spending, capping property tax growth, and with providing recovery and response efforts after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, leading to his re-election in 2013. However, his reputation was damaged by a corruption scandal involving the closure of lanes in front of the George Washington Bridge toll plaza in Fort Lee as an act of revenge against his political opponents. He was also accused of misappropriating hurricane relief funds, and his disapproval rating reached 69% in July 2017, the highest of all governors in the nation. Christie was considered as a possible vice-presidential pick for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but he was passed over for Mike Pence. Biography Christopher James Christie was born on 6 September 1962 in Newark, New Jersey, to a father of German, Scottish, and Irish descent and a mother of Italian descent. In 1967, his family moved to Livingston in Essex County, New Jersey after the 1967 Newark riots left 26 people dead. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1984, and in 1987 he graduated from Seton Hall with a law doctorate. Christie was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar Association, and he became a US Republican Party member, supporting George H.W. Bush's 1992 re-election campaign in New Jersey and getting involved in politics. in 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Christie as US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, serving in this post from 2002 to 2008. In January 2009, he announced his run for Governor of New Jersey, and on 19 January 2010 he entered office, replacing Jon Corzine. While Christie served as Governor of New Jersey, the state's credit rating was downgraded nine times, and only Illinois had a lower credit rating. He also led a tenure reform program that stated that teachers had to teach for four years and have positive ratings two years in a row to get tenure; he approved 23 new charter schools, with the number of charter schools in the country reaching 96. Christie believed that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection was killing business with indiscriminate fines and wanted to strip it of its fish and wildlife oversight and reduce its workforce if he was elected president in 2016. While Christie did have some liberal views, he had many conservative views such as his anti-environmentalist views, the opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage, having a pro-life stance on abortion, and opposition to the legalization of marijuana. Christie was accused of corruption on numerous occasions, starting with the fact that his step-uncle was a member of the Italian Mafia; Christie met his uncle in prison and at family gatherings. He was later accused of giving Hurricane Sandy relief funds to organizations on the condition that they back his projects, and he closed a lane at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee in revenge for local politicians' refusal to back him. Christie was also known for being mean-spirited, as he told a person to "Sit down and shut up" when they were protesting at one of his rallies; he also insulted Marco Rubio for his "twenty-five-second speech" during the 2016 Republican debates. On 30 June 2015, Christie announced that he was running for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States, and he was one of the many Republican candidates that gained support due to their opposition to President Barack Obama's policies during his two terms as president. Christie insulted both Obama and fellow Republican presidents such as Rubio, and his insulting of his repetition was seen as a defeat for Rubio until he rose to high ranks in the New Hampshire primary polls. Christie ended his run for the nomination on 10 February 2016 as a result of the low amount of votes for him. On 26 February 2016, he released a statement endorsing Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for the 2016 election. However, his incredibly low popularity led to Trump not offering him any cabinet positions. Category:1962 births Category:American politicians Category:Americans Category:Politicians Category:Italian-Americans Category:German-Americans Category:Scottish-Americans Category:Irish-Americans Category:Catholics Category:Republican Party members Category:American conservatives Category:Conservatives Category:New Jersey Republicans Category:People from Newark Category:People from New Jersey Category:People from Livingston Category:People from Mendham Township